Vintner Info

[fivebk]

Hi Everyone

Tonight my wife and I drove into town to our small town local orchard. Since frost got most of the apple blossoms on my trees this spring I was on a mission to score apples to make more apple wine. My first batch came out SOOOO GOOD that this time I want to make 20 gallons. Sometimes a small town setting can be a good thing. Long story short I scored all the apples I need at no cost. All it took was a bottle of my apple wine. The owner and his wife were impressed enough that they want to look into what it would take to be able to make and sell this at their orchard. The orchard is in SW Iowa. My question is this , Does anyone know what regulations there are on someone ( ME ) vinting a wine for them to sell ? or can someone steer me in the right direction to find out

Thanks BOB

 

[peaches9324]

I would guess the BBB would be a good place to start

 

[joeswine]

BEST ADVICE IS FROM YOUR LOCAL STATE OR MUNICIPALITY AS TO THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF MAKING AND OR SELLING HOME MADE WINE IN YOUR STATE.................

 

[smurfe]

Google is my friend. Here is the info you need.




http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/info/pdf/nativewine.pdf

 

[gaudet]

Also the ATF might be a source of information. They surely would have the paperwork / regulations info

 

[grapeman]

First off, you can get a license to make hard cider a lot easier than apple wine. For the wine you need a minimum of a farm winery license, but you need your own farm for that- so you are probably good there. You need both the Fedral License and a state one for your state. The Federal one is quite a long process of paperwork and they have 2 months generally to process it. It typically takes 6-10 months to get the permits. Here in NY you need even more for the State and it generally takes a few months more than the federal one. You need a stack of forms including your background and financial bank statements for about 6 months. I haven't checked what smurfe referred you to yet, but I will. If it isn't complete I will look and find the referring Federal agency and site. You want to be real serious about it and have a squeaky clean personal background. In NY we even have to be finger printed.




These processes would have to be done for minimally the orchard and you may even need to be included somehow. You could probably do it under their permits.


Good luck!

 

[fivebk]

I want to thank everyone for all the help.

Appleman can you answer this if the orchard gets all the right permits do I have to have the same permits to make the wine for them ?

Smurfe thanks for finding that site. It gives me a place to start

BOB

 

[grapeman]

If they are going through all the paperwork, I do not believe you need it also, but just have them ask if the winemaker needs any additional permits. I think you would need to make it at their physical facility to use their permits however. Most wineries have their own winemaker- you would just be acting in that position.

 

[fivebk]

Thanks again

BOB